If you are interested in creating a website or blog, then this post is for you! There are now numerous tools and services available to independent website designers and bloggers. Creating a website or blog is much easier and faster than it used to be. However, with any new business or web presence, it is important to first have a vision for the website. Determine the purpose of your website, the aesthetic you want, the functionality you need, and your goals for the website. Once you have these decided, you can jump into the design and technical decisions you need to make. Below I will walk you through the design and technical decisions I made to build my food blog:
Step 1: I decided which website building platform I wanted to use.
Rather than start from scratch, today there are various website building platforms and services. Some popular easy-to-use platforms focus on building functionality options through their own services like Wix and Squarespace, among others. Another widely used website building platform is WordPress. WordPress can be a little more confusing to understand at first. However, once you learn some basics, it is also relatively easy to use. What I like about WordPress is that it provides a lot more options for website designers. WordPress is an open source platform and therefore, 100% free for people to use and develop functionalities on. There are numerous functionalities provided via plug-ins that WordPress developers create and sell. This gives you a plethora of add-on design options and functions to choose from.
When I first started sharing my recipes, I posted my recipes through a Squarespace blog I created, because I liked the template design options they offered. It was very user-friendly for beginners and I was up and running in a day. As I used the website, however, I realized I needed a different platform. I decided to switch to WordPress. After I switched to WordPress, I have been very happy since. WordPress enabled me to add more complex and unique features to my website.
I believe WordPress is the most flexible website development platform. Many large content media websites use WordPress such as Rolling Stone, NYPost, Vogue, etc. I also like that I own my WordPress webpages and I can transfer them from one hosting company to another. Therefore, if I one day decide I need better speed, data storage, backups, security, and customer service, I still can keep my webpages and just switch hosting companies.
Step 2: I picked a website template that I could customize.
These days there are numerous templates to pick from depending on which website building platform you chose. I encourage people to pick a template that has the basic layout you are looking for. You can then customize the aesthetic and functionality from there. It is easier, faster and more cost effective to start this way even if you have to pay something for a template. Most people cannot tell the difference between a built from scratch website and one that was customized from a template.
I chose a template designed and developed by WPZOOM for WordPress and it has worked well for me. Certain templates has more flexibility than others, so that should also be a factor. Some templates are free with the web building service you use and others you must pay for.
To build a webpage from scratch is very time consuming. I personally think you are better off investing the customization time into the design of the more complex visual appeal and functionality of your website rather than starting from scratch. As I mentioned, there are numerous ways to add different elements to a webpage, so that it can be uniquely yours!
Step 3: I decided who would host my website.
Some articles about starting a blog or website actually recommend that you choose a hosting company first. However, determining the website building platform first is more important in my experience. I say this, because some companies like Squarespace and Wix host your webpages on their servers, so you can skip this decision. I also say this, because some hosting companies have more services and package deals for specific website building platforms than others. For example, Bluehost and Siteground are two popular web hosting services that support WordPress websites.
I chose Bluehost for my blog’s web hosting service when I decided to switch to WordPress. So far it has been sufficient. It is one of the cheaper hosting services, but also provides a number of services for WordPress websites. I purchased a 36-month basic web hosting services for $106.20, which comes to $2.95/month.
Step 4: I picked a domain name.
Once you know who will host your website, you can pick a domain name. Many hosting services now offer the ability to search for a variety of domain names and purchase it through them. I registered a domain name for $35.75 for 24 months, amounting to $1.99/month. This included domain privacy and protection.
Step 5: I published the website, tested it, and made adjustments.
After you get your website template customized to your liking, go ahead and make it live. As with anything, your first design probably won’t be what you ultimately settle on officially announcing. It is always best to start using it and then make adjustments. I advise trying to use different functions yourself and make improvements to the website. Once you are truly happy with it, you can then tell people about your website. This way you will know that when you officially share your website with others, you will know how it works. You will have an idea of what works well and what could be improved. A website can evolve over time, so do not think you are locked into the website design forever. Changes can always be made and the look and functionality can always be improved. You can even change templates if you are not happy with the initial look or functionality! This is why I am a big proponent of choosing a flexible website building platform from the beginning. You can always improve it over time.
Lastly, take the plunge and have fun! You can do this!
That’s pretty much it in terms of getting started with a new website! I hope this post has been useful to you and inspires you to start your own blog or website! My blog has been live for seven months now and I am happy with how easily I can post content to it. The blog also organizes the content for me, so I can focus on what is more important: cooking and writing recipes to share with you all! This is all because a took the time upfront to think about how I wanted my blog to work. Later, I also easily added the ability to share content across different social media platforms quickly.
Alternative: Hire a webpage designer
I had fun creating the blog as part of my hobby during this Covid-19 pandemic. However, if these sorts of decisions are not up your alley, you can always hire a website/blog designer. Do not let fear prevent you from having an online presence! A website designer can walk you through these decisions and help you build what you need. You just need to work with the website designer to create what you want. This way you can spend more time worrying about the content you want to share or your business instead. Leave the technical aspects of building and developing a website to someone else.
